The government announced that it had elevated the level of the crisis to a “natural disaster” after a reevaluation of its “magnitude and severity”.
As the scramble to prevent a drought continues, Mmusi Maimane, the leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance party, remained positive that South Africa could “defeat ‘Day Zero’”.
The start of the month saw each resident’s allowance of water dramatically cut from 87 litres a day to 50 litres.
It is worth noting that a single toilet flush alone uses 9 litres.
Day Zero is the moment that Cape Town’s water supply will be switched off, and residents must go to one of over 200 sites across the city in order to receive a rationed water supply.
A daily ration would be 25 litres if Day Zero goes into effect.
The Premier of Western Cape, Helen Zille, explained that once dam levels fall to 13.5 per cent in the region, the horrifying prospect of Day Zero will become a reality.
Cape Town isn’t the only city in recent times to suffer a water crisis.
In 2015 San Paulo, Brazil imposed similar water restrictions on its residents and narrowly avoided disaster.
The current drought facing the area is the worst in 100 years – the winter season that is believed to deliver the rain so desperately needed starts at around June.